diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/inlineHints/inlineHintsController.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/inlineHints/inlineHintsController.ts
index 9cc48a27c8c..0a5d3dd6622 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/inlineHints/inlineHintsController.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/inlineHints/inlineHintsController.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,11 @@ import { IThemeService } from 'vs/platform/theme/common/themeService';
 import { Range } from 'vs/editor/common/core/range';
 import { LanguageFeatureRequestDelays } from 'vs/editor/common/modes/languageFeatureRegistry';
 import { MarkdownString } from 'vs/base/common/htmlContent';
+import { CommandsRegistry } from 'vs/platform/commands/common/commands';
+import { URI } from 'vs/base/common/uri';
+import { IRange } from 'vs/base/common/range';
+import { assertType } from 'vs/base/common/types';
+import { ITextModelService } from 'vs/editor/common/services/resolverService';
 
 const MAX_DECORATORS = 500;
 
@@ -199,3 +204,19 @@ export class InlineHintsController implements IEditorContribution {
 }
 
 registerEditorContribution(InlineHintsController.ID, InlineHintsController);
+
+CommandsRegistry.registerCommand('_executeInlineHintProvider', async (accessor, ...args: [URI, IRange]): Promise<InlineHint[]> => {
+
+	const [uri, range] = args;
+	assertType(URI.isUri(uri));
+	assertType(Range.isIRange(range));
+
+	const ref = await accessor.get(ITextModelService).createModelReference(uri);
+	try {
+		const data = await getInlineHints(ref.object.textEditorModel, [Range.lift(range)], CancellationToken.None);
+		return flatten(data.map(item => item.list)).sort((a, b) => Range.compareRangesUsingStarts(a.range, b.range));
+
+	} finally {
+		ref.dispose();
+	}
+});
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostApiCommands.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostApiCommands.ts
index 972664cdeba..94c23b401b2 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostApiCommands.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostApiCommands.ts
@@ -271,6 +271,14 @@ const newCommands: ApiCommand[] = [
 			return [];
 		})
 	),
+	// --- inline hints
+	new ApiCommand(
+		'vscode.executeInlineHintProvider', '_executeInlineHintProvider', 'Execute inline hints provider',
+		[ApiCommandArgument.Uri, ApiCommandArgument.Range],
+		new ApiCommandResult<modes.InlineHint[], vscode.InlineHint[]>('A promise that resolves to an array of InlineHint objects', result => {
+			return result.map(typeConverters.InlineHint.to);
+		})
+	),
 	// --- notebooks
 	new ApiCommand(
 		'vscode.resolveNotebookContentProviders', '_resolveNotebookContentProvider', 'Resolve Notebook Content Providers',
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/test/browser/api/extHostApiCommands.test.ts b/src/vs/workbench/test/browser/api/extHostApiCommands.test.ts
index 47db11d1a7b..0cc30aa021e 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/test/browser/api/extHostApiCommands.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/test/browser/api/extHostApiCommands.test.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import { NullApiDeprecationService } from 'vs/workbench/api/common/extHostApiDep
 import { ServiceCollection } from 'vs/platform/instantiation/common/serviceCollection';
 import { SyncDescriptor } from 'vs/platform/instantiation/common/descriptors';
 import { InstantiationService } from 'vs/platform/instantiation/common/instantiationService';
+import { IResolvedTextEditorModel, ITextModelService } from 'vs/editor/common/services/resolverService';
 
 import 'vs/editor/contrib/codeAction/codeAction';
 import 'vs/editor/contrib/codelens/codelens';
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ import 'vs/editor/contrib/parameterHints/provideSignatureHelp';
 import 'vs/editor/contrib/smartSelect/smartSelect';
 import 'vs/editor/contrib/suggest/suggest';
 import 'vs/editor/contrib/rename/rename';
-import { IResolvedTextEditorModel, ITextModelService } from 'vs/editor/common/services/resolverService';
+import 'vs/editor/contrib/inlineHints/inlineHintsController';
 
 const defaultSelector = { scheme: 'far' };
 const model: ITextModel = createTextModel(
@@ -1141,6 +1142,85 @@ suite('ExtHostLanguageFeatureCommands', function () {
 		});
 	});
 
+	// --- inline hints
+
+	test('Inline Hints, back and forth', async function () {
+		disposables.push(extHost.registerInlineHintsProvider(nullExtensionDescription, defaultSelector, <vscode.InlineHintsProvider>{
+			provideInlineHints() {
+				return [new types.InlineHint('Foo', new types.Range(0, 1, 2, 3), undefined, true, false)];
+			}
+		}));
+
+		await rpcProtocol.sync();
+
+		const value = await commands.executeCommand<vscode.InlineHint[]>('vscode.executeInlineHintProvider', model.uri, new types.Range(0, 0, 20, 20));
+		assert.strictEqual(value.length, 1);
+
+		const [first] = value;
+		assert.strictEqual(first.text, 'Foo');
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.start.line, 0);
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.start.character, 1);
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.end.line, 2);
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.end.character, 3);
+	});
+
+	test('Inline Hints, merge', async function () {
+		disposables.push(extHost.registerInlineHintsProvider(nullExtensionDescription, defaultSelector, <vscode.InlineHintsProvider>{
+			provideInlineHints() {
+				return [new types.InlineHint('Bar', new types.Range(10, 11, 12, 13), undefined, true, false)];
+			}
+		}));
+
+		disposables.push(extHost.registerInlineHintsProvider(nullExtensionDescription, defaultSelector, <vscode.InlineHintsProvider>{
+			provideInlineHints() {
+				return [new types.InlineHint('Foo', new types.Range(0, 1, 2, 3), undefined, true, false)];
+			}
+		}));
+
+		await rpcProtocol.sync();
+
+		const value = await commands.executeCommand<vscode.InlineHint[]>('vscode.executeInlineHintProvider', model.uri, new types.Range(0, 0, 20, 20));
+		assert.strictEqual(value.length, 2);
+
+		const [first, second] = value;
+		assert.strictEqual(first.text, 'Foo');
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.start.line, 0);
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.start.character, 1);
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.end.line, 2);
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.end.character, 3);
+
+		assert.strictEqual(second.text, 'Bar');
+		assert.strictEqual(second.range.start.line, 10);
+		assert.strictEqual(second.range.start.character, 11);
+		assert.strictEqual(second.range.end.line, 12);
+		assert.strictEqual(second.range.end.character, 13);
+	});
+
+	test('Inline Hints, bad provider', async function () {
+		disposables.push(extHost.registerInlineHintsProvider(nullExtensionDescription, defaultSelector, <vscode.InlineHintsProvider>{
+			provideInlineHints() {
+				return [new types.InlineHint('Foo', new types.Range(0, 1, 2, 3), undefined, true, false)];
+			}
+		}));
+		disposables.push(extHost.registerInlineHintsProvider(nullExtensionDescription, defaultSelector, <vscode.InlineHintsProvider>{
+			provideInlineHints() {
+				throw new Error();
+			}
+		}));
+
+		await rpcProtocol.sync();
+
+		const value = await commands.executeCommand<vscode.InlineHint[]>('vscode.executeInlineHintProvider', model.uri, new types.Range(0, 0, 20, 20));
+		assert.strictEqual(value.length, 1);
+
+		const [first] = value;
+		assert.strictEqual(first.text, 'Foo');
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.start.line, 0);
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.start.character, 1);
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.end.line, 2);
+		assert.strictEqual(first.range.end.character, 3);
+	});
+
 	// --- selection ranges
 
 	test('Selection Range, back and forth', async function () {